Why are the COVID Restrictions Back in Shanghai?
On Monday, authorities in Beijing, China’s capital, rushed to curb a COVID-19 pandemic linked to a noisy 24-hour pub known for cheap whiskey and huge crowds, subjecting millions of individuals to forced testing and placing thousands under targeted lockdowns.
Heaven Supermarket Bar had just reopened in the city center after Beijing eased curfews last week. This bar is allegedly a source of the outbreak of almost 200 covid cases. This incident has highlighted just how tough China’s “zero COVID” policy will be to implement. Infections with the COVID virus have returned, causing new concerns about the economy of the world’s second-largest economy. Shanghai, China’s most populous city and commercial nerve hub, was shut down for two months, disrupting global supply chains.
Millions Under Testing and Lockdown
Beijing restaurants resumed dine-in service on June 6 after more than a month of COVID restrictions in the metropolis of 22 million people. Thousands of malls, gyms, and other venues, parts of the city’s public transit system were not operating; and millions of people had to work from home. “We must now test every day. It’s inconvenient, but it’s important “According to a 21-year-old resident of Beijing who manages a convenience shop where the bar cluster was discovered, “Our business has suffered because of the virus; it is down roughly 20-30%.”
On Monday, Chaoyang began a three-day mass testing program among its 3.5 million citizens. The bar’s close contacts have been identified; their residential structures have been placed under lockdown; moreover, the delayed many planned school reopenings in the district have been delayed. On Monday, queues snaked for more than 100 meters around numerous testing locations, according to Reuters eyewitnesses. The government erected large metal barriers around many housing compounds, with people in hazardous suits spraying disinfectant. Heaven Supermarket Bar, modeled like a gigantic self-service liquor shop with seats, sofas, and tables, restored its appeal among young, rowdy audiences hungry for socializing and partying.
